Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (ツバサ-RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-, Tsubasa -Rezaboa Kuronikuru-?), is an ongoing manga series by Clamp. It is currently being serialized in Shōnen Magazine. It was adapted into an anime series, Tsubasa Chronicle (ツバサ・クロニクル, Tsubasa Kuronikuru?), animated by Bee Train, which aired 52 episodes over two seasons during 2005 and 2006. Three OVAs (animated by Production I.G) were also released in two month successions, from November 2007 through March 2008. As of September 1st, 2008, the English dub is being broadcast on the Funimation TV Channel in the United States. The English dub is also being broadcast by Animax across Asia under the title 'Chronicle of The Wings'. Plot Sakura is the princess of Clow Kingdom, which is ruled by her older brother, King Tōya. Her childhood friend Syaoran is a young archaeologist. Sakura is revealed to have strange powers when she has a vision of a mysterious symbol and places she has never seen. Meanwhile, Syaoran discovers the same symbol at the ruins he is excavating. He sees Sakura standing on the symbol on the ground. Ghostly wings appear on her back and a mysterious force begins to pull her into the walls of the ruins. Syaoran rescues her in time, but her wings are scattered across dimensions. The High Priest of Clow Kingdom, Yukito, immediately realizes that Sakura's "feathers" were the manifestation of her soul and memories; without them, she will die. In order to save Sakura, Syaoran must journey to retrieve her wing's feathers, the fragments of her memories. Yukito sends Syaoran and the unconscious Sakura to the Dimensional Witch, Yūko, who is one of the main characters in xxxHolic. There he meets Kurogane, a rough-mannered ninja banished from his world by Princess Tomoyo, and Fay D. Flourite, a magician who fled his world to avoid King Ashura. Each of them must pay with what he values most in order to gain the power to cross dimensions. For Kurogane, it is his sword Ginryū, and for Fay, it is the tattoo on his back which regulates his control of his magic. Syaoran, on the other hand, must pay with his relationship with Sakura: even if he is able to retrieve all of her memories, she will never remember anything about him or their relationship. (This sacrifice also pays Sakura's "toll" to Yūko, because what Sakura values most are her memories of and with Syaoran.) Only when the three agree to her terms does Yūko present them with the power to cross dimensions; a white creature named Mokona Modoki. While traversing through worlds to find Sakura's feathers, the four travellers and Mokona are forced to overcome many dangers and opponents, some of whom are figures from Syaoran's past who wish to collect Sakura's feathers for their own reasons as they are seen to be objects that hold great power. The manga adopts darker and more complex tones in the latter half of the story. Because of the crossover characters with xxxHolic, the two manga occasionally intertwine with each other. Main Characters Syaoran: The main character and protagonist for the first half of the story. Childhood friend of Princess Sakura. He is known for his kind nature and his calm determination. At the beginning Syaoran does not have any magical power, but is an excellent martial artist and an aspiring archaeologist with extensive knowledge of various languages, histories, and artifacts. It's later revealed that Syaoran is actually a clone of Syaoran Li that was originally created in order to collect Princess Sakura's feathers. "Syaoran" Li: The son of Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li from Cardcaptor Sakura. At the age of 14 he is imprisoned by Fei Wong Reed and is seen throughout the first half of the series asleep in a magically-sealed tank. After awakening he joins the group with the wish of protecting Sakura. In Chapter 201, it is revealed that Watanuki (xxxHolic) was "born" to replace the void in the relationships Syaoran had made. Sakura: The Princess of Clow Country. Sakura is a cheerful, selfless, and strong-hearted young woman. She states if there was ever something that she could do, she would try her absolute best. Her feathers are the manifestation of her soul, namely her heart and memories. She possesses a mysterious power, manifest in the magical powers of her wings, which is sought by Fei Wong Reed. Kurogane: A rough-mannered ninja from the world of Nihon (Japan), exiled for his recklessness. He originally possessed the blade Ginryū before giving it to Yūko as price for his deal with her. Fay D. Flourite: A laid-back mage from the Country of Celes. Although he seems happy-go-lucky and pretends to know less than he does, there is more to him than meets the eye. He appears to be on the run from his mysterious past. Mokona: A creature given to Syaoran, Fay and Kurogane by Yūko in exchange for their most-valued possessions to help find Sakura's memories (the feathers). A created imitation from the character in Magic Knight Rayearth which could not talk. There is also a black Mokona. Yūko Ichihara: Also known as the Dimensional Witch or the Space-Time Witch, who resides in modern day Japan. A crossover character from xxxHolic. . Fei Wong Reed: The primary antagonist of the story. He is very powerful and will do anything to grant his wish - to bring back a life. He can see predict the future and often prepares many details of his plans decades before they take places. Kimihiro Watanuki: Syaoran's counterpart in Japan. He never meets the Tsubasa group conventionally, but speaks with Sakura in his dreams when her spirit is separated from her body. Syaoran and Watanuki have a very strong bond, even though they've rarely ever spoken with each other. Manga Publication Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is currently being serialized in Japan in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since May 2003. To date, twenty-three tankōbon volumes have been published, with the 23rd released on March 17, 2008. The manga series has also been adapted for release within several different regions, including North America in English by Del Rey Manga, Taiwan by Tong Li in Traditional Chinese and Singapore by Chuang Yi in English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid, Spanish in Spain by Norma Editorial and Thailand by Vibulkij Publishing Group in Thai. At the conclusion of Volume 23, on the last page of Chapter 182, Clamp, the authors of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle announced the manga was entering its final arc. It is expected that Tsubasa and its sister publication, xxxHolic will end prior to the 2009 publication of Clamp's new shōjo manga. Category:Series